International hydrographic organization specifications for chart content and display aspects of ecdis
Download 0.98 Mb. View original pdf
|
S-52 Appendix 2 - IHO
| Because the display screen is smaller than the paper chart, the IMO PS specify that the ECDIS display should have the capacity for local as well as distant look-ahead. To provide this will bean important consideration in presentation design. While, for example, manufacturers may provide a smaller scale look-ahead display by windowing, these Specifications must take into account the fact that important features such as lights, future waypoints, etc, may often lie out of sight off the screen. 2.2.4 Important features should always be clear and conspicuous These specifications are designed to make important features (e.g. own-ship symbol, own-ship safety contour, etc) more conspicuous than minor features. Ergonomic specialists point out that, to avoid ambiguity, important features, such as those in the IMO PS Display Base, should be redundantly coded. (Two examples are the own-ship safety contour, which is a thick line and has a sharp change in the colour of the depth shade, and the planned route, which is red and is the only heavy dotted line on the display. This serves to improve the visibility of important features on the route monitoring display, and it also helps to distinguish features in bright sun or at night. Chart features should normally be written over the radar image. See section b for details. 2.2.5 Scale and range indicators The "indication of) scale and range" required as part of the Display Base by IMO PS Appendix 2 is intended to give the mariner an immediate appreciation of (a) how close to his ship are hazards seen on the display, and (b) how much time he has to decide on any necessary avoiding action. Two indicators should be provided - a one-mile scale bar fora large scale display and a ten-mile latitude scale fora small scale display (see section 3.2.3(9) for details. This indicates roughly how close display features are the cursor or VRM should be used for exact range measurement, - an emphasized six-minute marker on the course and speed made good vector see IEC symbol 3 and Part II of the Presentation Library. 17 S, Edition 6.0 March 2010 2.2.6 Effect of bright sunlight, and the dark night display It will not be possible to read the ECDIS display if the sun is shining directly onto it. Even diffused bright sunlight on the bridge tends to washout the colours of the display so that they tend to look grey. The "day" colour table has strong contrast to combat this effect. But it helps to shield the face of the screen. The face of the display screen acts as a mirror to white shirts, sometimes seriously obscuring the chart display. Wearing a black cotton (not synthetic) watch-coat will greatly improve viewing on a sunlit bridge. At night several factors combine to reduce colour discrimination - the display must be darkened to a level at which it does not impair the mariner's night vision, hence his ability to keep a lookout, - the ability of the human eye to distinguish colour is reduced at low light levels, - the display screen is less capable of discriminating between colours at low levels. A dark colour may drop below the screen cutoff and become black. Note that ships tend to arrive in port at 0800 and sail by 1700, to reduce port charges thus the critical passage through the port approaches often occurs at night. The night colour tables are designed to overcome night viewing problems as far as possible, and some other measures are taken as well - important features are distinguished by redundant symbol/linestyle coding as well as colour, (e.g. own-ship is a unique double circle , in heavy white at night, - if it happens that the entire night display area consists of only one depth zone, the mariner will not be able to judge by absolute colour discrimination which of these depth zones the ship is in. A clearly visible "depth less than safety contour" pattern is provided to indicate shallow water (section 3.2.3(15)), - the mariner should be advised to adjust the night display of a display screen by contrast control, not by brightness, which may shift dark colours below cut-off. Use of a 0.9 ND optical filter over a relatively bright display is abetter solution for night viewing than reducing the display brightness. 2.2.7 Location for the ECDIS display Experience in sea tests has shown that it is important to select an appropriate location for ECDIS. For example - the navigator should be able to seethe display clearly, and to reach the controls, from his normal conning position, - it is an advantage to locate radar and ECDIS side by side, - the face of the display should be shaded from direct sunlight, and the display should not be located where the viewer may find the sun directly behind it. 2.2.8 Displaying text The power of ECDIS lies in conveying operational information quickly, clearly and comprehensively through a picture, a birds-eye view of the ship and her surroundings. Text should be avoided on this graphical operational display unless it is 18 S, Edition 6.0 March 2010 absolutely necessary, because it conveys limited information and, since it has to be written large to be readable, causes confusing clutter. However some text maybe unavoidable, both on the operational display (e.g. buoy numbers if these are required for VTS reporting) or on a separate text display (e.g. course to steer, heading alarms tidal information user interaction to control the ECDIS, etc.). See also sections c, 3.1.5 and 3.4, and section 7.1.3 of the Presentation Library. 2.2.9 Flashing to draw attention The capability to flash a symbol should be used only rarely in very special cases. It should be used to draw attention rather than to simulate areal flashing object. 2.2.10 Operator control of information should be effective and simple In order to handle the diversity of information and flexibility of display options provided by ECDIS without confusion, the presentation of information must be designed carefully. In particular, the operator interface should provide clear, simple control of the display such that there is no danger of confusion, or of failure to retrieve important chart information in a stressful situation. Viewing Groups, as an optional way of giving the mariner control over the information on the display, are described in section 8.3.4.4 of the Presentation Library. The mariner should have full control over any automatically linked display changes, including the option to inhibit such changes. Examples of linked display changes include changing the source of data when a larger scale becomes available, or displaying lights automatically when the mariner selects the "Dusk" colour table. There should be enough commonality between the user interfaces of the various makes of ECDIS that a pilot, or watch officer new to the ship, can use an unfamiliar type of ECDIS. However, overstrict standardisation will hamper development of an effective interface. Download 0.98 Mb. Share with your friends:
|